zoomingjapan
Japan Travel Expert
- 18 Jun 2012
- 274
- 49
- 44
Hi.
I've been in Japan for several years now.
I've been with Softbank for all that time. I have a pretty old Softbank phone (never got a new one) and am on the standard white plan.
I really need the functions of a smartphone when traveling, but I'm almost 100% sure that I won't stay another 2 years in Japan.
Getting a smartphone with any of the "typical" providers would mean that I have to pay a cancellation fee (that's not too bad) and a lot of money for the phone (whatever is still left to pay) and then I can basically toss that phone because they're all SIM-locked and can't be used abroad.
Instead I've done A LOT of reading and researching to see what other options I have.
It seems that you can get an unlocked smartphone from abroad (that fulfills certain requirements) and then just put your SIM from your current phone (in my case that's Softbank) in there.
You have to change the contract online accordingly and a few other things need to be done, but then it should work.
B-Mobile offers 3-months contracts, so that would be an option, too.
Docomo seems to be ridiculously expensive when using a phone that they have not listed.
What I want to know now is:
Can I use my current SIM card of my normal Softbank phone (that is not a smartphone) for a smartphone that I purchased abroad or do I already need a Softbank smartphone (and SIM) for this to work?
Does anybody have any experience with this?
Here's a good guide: japandroid: How to Use an Unlocked (SIM-free) 3G Phone in Japan
I'm currently looking into getting either the HTC One X or the Galaxy S3, but I don't want to spend roughly 50.000yen on a phone that I can't use in Japan in the end.
Any other ideas?
I could just keep my current phone and try to get a Wifi plan for my iPod Touch instead ... though I have no idea if that would work.
Thanks a lot in advance!
I've been in Japan for several years now.
I've been with Softbank for all that time. I have a pretty old Softbank phone (never got a new one) and am on the standard white plan.
I really need the functions of a smartphone when traveling, but I'm almost 100% sure that I won't stay another 2 years in Japan.
Getting a smartphone with any of the "typical" providers would mean that I have to pay a cancellation fee (that's not too bad) and a lot of money for the phone (whatever is still left to pay) and then I can basically toss that phone because they're all SIM-locked and can't be used abroad.
Instead I've done A LOT of reading and researching to see what other options I have.
It seems that you can get an unlocked smartphone from abroad (that fulfills certain requirements) and then just put your SIM from your current phone (in my case that's Softbank) in there.
You have to change the contract online accordingly and a few other things need to be done, but then it should work.
B-Mobile offers 3-months contracts, so that would be an option, too.
Docomo seems to be ridiculously expensive when using a phone that they have not listed.
What I want to know now is:
Can I use my current SIM card of my normal Softbank phone (that is not a smartphone) for a smartphone that I purchased abroad or do I already need a Softbank smartphone (and SIM) for this to work?
Does anybody have any experience with this?
Here's a good guide: japandroid: How to Use an Unlocked (SIM-free) 3G Phone in Japan
I'm currently looking into getting either the HTC One X or the Galaxy S3, but I don't want to spend roughly 50.000yen on a phone that I can't use in Japan in the end.
Any other ideas?
I could just keep my current phone and try to get a Wifi plan for my iPod Touch instead ... though I have no idea if that would work.
Thanks a lot in advance!